The Afghanistan Withdrawal Was Worse Than You Think – ACLJ Receives Documents in a FOIA Lawsuit With Alarming Information

In response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request and lawsuit the ACLJ submitted almost two years ago, we just received a document release of 220 pages (Part 1, Part 2) concerning the botched withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan. The documents were from the Biden State Department, Department of Defense, and U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM). USCENTCOM is the military command with oversight of the Middle East, including Afghanistan. The documents included internal memos, intelligence analysis, and briefing slides that were presented to senior U.S. leaders from January to August 2021.

The released documents, some of them with Secret classification, confirm what the American people have known all along—the withdrawal from Afghanistan was poorly planned and even more poorly executed.  It was a military and political disaster. It left 13 U.S. service members dead and others severely wounded, along with hundreds of Afghan citizens killed. It allowed ISIS and al-Qaeda (again) to find a base of operations in Afghanistan. Because we left thousands of vehicles and weapons behind, the Biden Administration made the Taliban the best-armed terrorist organization in the world.

The surrender and retreat of the United States from Afghanistan (and it is difficult to term it otherwise) also emboldened our enemies—especially Russia, China, and Iran. Additionally, as the U.S. military conducts operations in other countries, local citizens will be reluctant to risk their safety to help a country that turns its back on those who assist them. It could have been an orderly withdrawal. It was not.

However, what made the information in the documents even more troubling were the priorities of the Administration leading up to the withdrawal. The first 60 pages of documents were totally dedicated to environmental concerns and sought to make sure we planned well to exercise Green New Deal-type practices as we left the country. What was missing was any plan to protect our forces still in the country, our Afghan interpreters and partners, and the thousands of U.S. citizens there—many of whom were left behind. Page after page went into great detail as we planned well in advance to assist the Afghanistan Environmental Protection Agency prior to exiting their country. If there was any thought given to an orderly evacuation of Americans and our allies, it was not in the 220 pages released by our most senior leaders. This is shocking and indefensible.

The documents reflect a Pentagon that is more concerned with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and using correct pronouns than force protection, national security, and military readiness. The U.S. military is short tens of thousands of recruits. In a report by USMilitary.com, some of the factors leading to a recruiting shortfall are diversity training and senior military leaders implying that we have a domestic terrorism problem among the ranks. Service members and potential recruits are rightfully offended. Many are leaving the service and others refuse to join.

We must remember how we got to Afghanistan. The Taliban gave safe harbor and assistance to al-Qaeda after it attacked America and nearly 3,000 people were killed. When confronted by the Bush Administration, the Taliban refused to help the United States in capturing those responsible for the 9/11 attacks and refused to remove al-Qaeda from their country. Thousands of Americans died or were horrifically wounded in Afghanistan by the Taliban in that long war. We gave them total control of the country when we left in August 2021.

Perhaps it was time to leave Afghanistan, but not like this. Overruling his generals, President Biden ordered a quick withdrawal and refused the advice of his senior military leaders to keep Bagram Air Base (a preferable evacuation site compared to the airport in Kabul) open and refused to leave 3,000 troops behind as a security force to protect U.S. citizens and U.S. interests. Now we know that much of the planning prior to the withdrawal was about protecting the environment instead of protecting U.S. troops and our allies. After the fiasco of August 2021, President Biden called it an “extraordinary success” and said he had no regrets.

The ACLJ believes the government should be responsive to the American people and accountable to the American people. The release of these documents at the insistence of the ACLJ is one of the most significant recent responses by the federal government to our petitions. But the contents should alarm every American. They are indicative of a misguided Administration, and to date, no one has been held accountable for the botched withdrawal. It is also a reminder, as President Biden is the Commander in Chief of the U.S. military, that elections have consequences—sometimes very dire and serious consequences.